The present invention relates to a safety restraint system for use in a vehicle, and in particular to a safety net for use in relation to a sleeping/resting compartment of a vehicle.
In vehicles containing sleeping and/or resting bunks a safety net is provided for the safety of the person resting during travel. This safety net provides a soft barrier in a direction of travel as seen from the bunk. In case of a crash or rapid deceleration a person present or equipment stored in the same compartment will continue to travel due to the momentum of the object or person and hit the windscreen of the vehicle and/or any other object or person in between with possible injuries for persons in the vehicle compartment both in the resting compartment and in the driving compartment. Also damages are likely to occur for the vehicle.
For this purpose several different solutions for providing a safety net have been suggested in the literature; in many cases the safety net is provided for fixed bunks using for instance a manually mounted net secured using some locking arrangement. The net may be provided in net basket for storage when not in use. In SE516063 a safety net is provided in a storage location underneath the bunk and in SE514565 the net is stored in a cartridge located along the long side of the bunk.
However, many suggested solutions are provided for fixed bunks, i.e. the bunk is always in the same position. These safety net solutions are not suitable for bunks that may be folded against a wall when not in use since the safety net itself and any storage solutions add to the weight of the bunk when provided connected to the bunk. This may in turn increase the complexity of handling of the bunk.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a safety net is stored in a cartridge located in a back wall of the sleeping compartment and the net may be drawn out from this cartridge and positioned and secured to the bunk when in use. A guiding bar is provided to steer the net out from the wall during operation and provide a suitable space behind the net where a person may be secured during rapid deceleration or accidents. With such a solution the safety net system is independent on whether the bunk is foldable or fixed.
In a first aspect of the present invention, a safety restraint system, securing a resting compartment of a vehicle is provided, comprising:                a storage cartridge;        a guiding mechanism;        a safety net secured in one end to the storage cartridge;        a first locking mechanism for locking the guiding mechanism;        a second locking mechanism for securing the safety net to or close to a side of the bunk;wherein the safety net during operation rests on the guiding mechanism and the guiding mechanism is during operation mounted in the first locking mechanism for locking the guiding mechanism in a position spaced apart from the cartridge and between the cartridge and a side of the bunk; the safety net is during operation further mounted in the second locking mechanism securing the resting compartment.        
The safety restraint system may further comprise at least one belt and each belt is steered through a belt guide loop arranged on the guiding mechanism.
The guiding mechanism may be locked in a position substantially above a side of a bunk, the bunk is located adjacent to a wall in the compartment, and wherein the side of the bunk is located on an opposing side of the bunk from the wall;
The safety net, the wall, and the bunk may together define a box like shaped compartment under operation wherein a person is secured with respect to a direction of travel of the vehicle.
The safety net may comprise a mesh structure and may be manufactured in at least one of nylon, polyester, polypropylene, or other polymeric substances or compositions thereof, or natural fibers such as from cotton or compositions of different natural fibers or polymeric substances.
The safety net may be at least partly secured to the at least one belt.
The safety net may be attached to a locking bar securable close to the bunk in the second locking mechanism.
The storage cartridge may be located in a back wall of the resting compartment or the storage cartridge may be located on a back wall of the resting compartment.
The guiding mechanism may comprise a guiding bar with end pieces with increased radius. The first locking mechanism may comprise an insertion structure in a base structure and a slot structure steering the guiding bar to an operational position, a stop structure is provided for stopping the guiding bar from being self-released during a rapid deceleration.
The safety net may be connected to a tightening mechanism for tightening the safety net in an event of rapid deceleration of the vehicle.
The safety net may be stored inside the storage cartridge during storage and the belt may be stored inside the storage cartridge during storage.
The guiding mechanism may be mounted on at least one steering arm telescopically extendable from the cartridge or a wall.
The guiding mechanism may be mounted on at least one foldable arm extendable from the cartridge or the wall.
In another aspect of the present invention, a vehicle with a safety restraint system is provided, wherein the safety restraint system secures a resting compartment of the vehicle, the safety restraint system comprising: a storage cartridge; a guiding mechanism; a safety net secured in one end to the storage cartridge; a first locking mechanism for locking the guiding mechanism; a second locking mechanism for securing the safety net to or close to a side of the bunk; wherein the safety net during operation rests on the guiding mechanism and the guiding mechanism is during operation mounted in the first locking mechanism for locking the guiding mechanism in a position spaced apart from the cartridge and between the cartridge and a side of the bunk; the safety net is during operation further mounted in the second locking mechanism securing the resting compartment.
These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter.